Project information

No Child Should Live on the Streets

Children in Honduras often leave home to escape abuse, neglect and violence; only to encounter extreme abuse, violence and danger living on the streets. The project involves working with children on the streets; providing holistic care and an alternative safe and productive future

Charity information: Compass Children's Charity

Need

In Honduras, over two thirds of children are victims of extreme poverty and suffer incidences of physical, sexual and emotional trauma. These are often cited as reasons for leaving home and choosing to live on the streets. On the street many children inhale solvents and take drugs to drive away hunger pains, loneliness and painful memories, some are forced to beg, sell their bodies and steal in order to survive. They are often numb with cold, terrified - many will be beaten, abused and killed.

Solution

Casa Alianza works directly on the streets with the children, befriending through recreational activities and exploring the root causes why they are on the streets and options available to leave the streets. One option is to enter the Casa Alianza residential facility where we offer mediation support to the family and assist reintegration where possible. If that isn’t possible, the child remains at Casa Alianza where their immediate needs are met and physical and emotional needs developed.

Aim 1

Expand street outreach work to reach more children in different areas of the city:

Activities

» Transport resources being made available to travel further within the city limit and to cover several areas during the course of a day » Investment in materials and resources to work with more children on a one-one basis and role out group activities.

The number of children reached annually will double from approximately 330 individual children per year to 660.

Aim 2

Provide information to street children to minimise levels of harm whilst living on the street

Activities

» Carry out 20 workshops and a series of one-to-one sessions on issues encountered living on the streets e.g. drug abuse, violence and sexual abuse. » Educate children on their rights and what to do if these are violated whilst living on the streets » Equip street children with a personal hygiene pack as they work through their process with the street team, to prepare them for reintegration

Log attendance to workshops and one-to-one sessions. Implementation of advice and training, street children testimonies and observations from street team.

Aim 3

Carry out a “Give Warmth” campaign on the streets during winter.

Activities

» Street team to work additionally at night to provide children with alternatives to the streets. » Provision of warm beverages, extra clothes and blankets to reduce incidences of hypothermia, pneumonia and flu. » Provision of emergency treatment to children who are showing signs of illness due to winter.

Reduction in incidences of hypothermia, pneumonia, flu and death of street children during the winter period.

Aim 4

Improving first aid and treatment to children on the streets.

Activities

» Investment in First Aid resources and training to equip the team with working with minor injuries. » Accompanying children to hospitals to treat serious injuries when they have been refused treatment. » Train street children how to treat minor cuts/injuries to prevent secondary infection on the streets.

Increase in quality first aid provision to children and unaccompanied hospital treatment through challenging discrimination against street children in hospitals.

Aim 5

Provision of external support and tertiary services to the street children and their families

Activities

» Resources to provide mediation and support between a child and their family who wishes to leave the streets and return home. » Providing a dignified funeral for street children who have been murdered on the street where families lack the finance. » Provision of witness protection where street children have witnessed crimes (usually against other children) by the police.

Increased levels of protection provided for children during reintegration and as witnesses and support to families of murdered street children.

Impact

This project will allow Casa Alianza to reach far more children and foster relationships with their families to provide them with continuous support to reduce the risk of the child leaving home again.
We will demonstrate the success of the programme by doubling the number of individual children worked with, encouraging far more children to leave the streets through workshops and one-to-one sessions which will be noted in an increase in residential admissions and family reintegration.

Risk

Political insecurity is a risk to this project as curfews can impede on outreach work. If this were to occur, Casa Alianza Honduras has a space within the residential facility where it can work with up to 20 street children each day and continue street outreach programmes. Gangs often take over certain zones making it dangerous to work in. To counter this, children will be assisted with bus fare to meet the street team in a safer zone to work with the team.

Reporting

In addition to compliance with donor reporting requirements, Casa Alianza Honduras will provide quarterly narrative reports, detailing successes to date, challenges, a plan of forthcoming activities, photos and testimonies of street children involved in the programme.

Location

The project will take place in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. The recent military coup has had a huge impact on the Honduran economy, where over 45% of the population live on less than $1 a day. The government has no programmes in place to work with the approximately 20,000 children living on the streets who are further stigmatized by society and have been subjected to abuse and human rights violations committed by the general public and police officials.

Beneficiaries

Over 600 street children will be direct beneficiaries of this project who are desperately seeking an alternative to the streets. Families will benefit from support given by Casa Alianza Honduras to help reunite children with families and reduce the risk of them leaving. Mistreatment of street children by medical professionals and the police will be challenged by the street outreach team and training will be offered to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about street children.

Why Us?

Casa Alianza has been in operation in Honduras for over 20 years, working in defence of street children and their rights. We have won several awards including The Swedish Olaf Palme Award for the organisation’s “dedicated work to help street children in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico and for the courageous defence of the rights of these children" in 1996. Our methodology has been modified over the years and has proven successful amongst the children who trust the name “Casa Alianza”.